More than a decade ago, for both economic and social reasons, my DH and I relocated to Southeast Asia. I prefer not to specify exactly which country since the powers-that-be in that nation tend to be conservative about sex, at least officially. If they knew Lisabet Sarai resided within their borders… well, I’d rather they didn’t!

Almost immediately, I felt comfortable in my adopted home. Things that are important in most Asian countries—tradition, family, personal relationships, food—are important to me, too. I also loved the dynamism of the region. Asia is changing much faster than America or Europe. It’s exciting to watch and contribute to the unfolding new society. The energy is contagious.

My love affair with Asia actually began much earlier, though. On our first date, more than thirty years ago, my husband told me tales of his extensive travels. I listened, fascinated and envious, as he painted word pictures of Balinese volcanoes, Malaysian jungles and Thai temples. Our first international trip, not long after we married, was to Hong Kong. Working as teachers, we lived in Thailand for two years in the nineteen eighties. The central location that made it easy to explore the region. After that, we were hooked.

All the photos accompanying this post were taken by me, during my Asian excursions. I could share many more, but I’ve been given a limit of five!

With my long experience with Asia, it’s probably not surprising that quite a few of my stories are set there. Recently I decided to create a series of short ebooks, erotic romance tales that unfold in different Asian countries. The first to be published is Singapore Fling, set (as you might guess) in that high-tech city-state. Next month, I’ll be bringing out Asian Adventures Book 2. Citadel ofWomen is a M/F tale that takes place in Luang Prabang, Laos. Future books will include stories from Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia and Japan.

Here’s a bit about the first Asian Adventure.

InthecleanestcityinAsia,thingscanstillgetmessy.

Thai entrepreneur Ploy Kaewkornwattanasakul has come to Singapore to close a deal. Ploy needs to convince tech whiz Jason Chow to license his ground-breaking innovation to her company on favorable terms. The future of her startup depends on her negotiating skill. When she meets Jason, though, she realizes she wants not just the invention, but the inventor, too.

Jason Chow is a brilliant engineer, a successful businessman and a bit of a rebel. He’s attracted to Ploy from the moment he sets eyes on her. However, he doesn’t dare respond to her advances, for fear she’ll discover his secret vice.

Ploy doesn’t understand why the sexy CEO has rejected her. She figures she’ll have to content herself with the cold comfort of a signed contract—unless the strength of Jason’s desire overwhelms his shame.

The two men left her alone to peruse the agreement. A hint of Jason’s scent lingered, though. She tried to ignore it, forcing herself to digest the legalese in front of her.

By the time she reached the bottom of the first page, she was smiling. The smile grew broader as she read further. The contract was generous. More than generous. Exclusive use of Interia technology in Thailand and unlimited technical support, in return for joint branding and a royalty percentage two points lower than what she’d been prepared to offer.

This might be just the push ShopGuru needed to go viral.

Jason stuck his head in the door. “Finished yet?”

She turned her smile in his direction. “Yes. I have.”

“And?”

“It looks highly satisfactory.” Try as she would, she couldn’t keep the glee out of her voice.

“Do you want to run it by your own lawyers?”

Probably she should do so. However, she didn’t want Jason to get any second thoughts about the terms. Plus lawyers cost money.

“No, I’m happy to sign it as is.”

“Excellent. Ravi is here as a witness.” Jason leaned over her to put a second copy of the document on the table. The heat radiating from his body rekindled her carefully controlled desire. “If you’ll give us your signature here—” He pointed to a blank space. She couldn’t help noticing the smooth, hairless skin of his forearm. “And initial here.”

She followed his instructions, struggling to keep her feelings in check.

“And if I could just borrow your pen…” Electricity jumped between them as his fingers grazed hers.

She cursed to herself. Why couldn’t she have gotten the hots for someone normal?

AboutLisabet

Lisabet Sarai has been addicted to words all her life. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – nearly one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, GLBT, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.